LUDLOW – Ludlow is a soccer town. That much is obvious with just one look at Anadias Field Thursday morning, as 73 young athletes showed up for the first boys soccer tryout.

For a program that has such a winning tradition in the sport, however, the last two seasons have not ended as planned. The Lions fell in the Western Massachusetts Division I final each time, losing the title to Amherst in 2012 and West Springfield in 2013. Those losses follow a stretch in which Ludlow had won five consecutive Western Mass. titles.

“We try not to put too much pressure on them,” Ludlow coach Greg Kolodziey said. “They know the tradition and the history. Growing up they have seen all the games. When it’s their time to get there, we try to keep them as calm as possible.

“When you put them in front of 1,500 people in a championship game, they are still kids and sometimes crazy things happen.”

While the past two seasons have ended in disappointment for Ludlow, this year could very well be different. The Lions have brought back a group of eight returning starters, including top goal-scorer Mike Goncalves, and appear poised to bring the Western Mass. championship back to Ludlow.

“I believe (it is our year),” Goncalves said. "I think this will be a strong core team that can take it all. We fell short, we know what it’s like to lose, so I think this year we are going to win.”

Goncalves led his team with 19 goals and 26 points a season ago, and again appears to be the top weapon for Kolodziey’s offense. He and his cousin, midfielder David Goncalves, could form a nice one-two punch to lead the Ludlow offense this season.

But Ludlow also has the depth to beat teams in multiple different ways. Kolodziey said his team plays a variety of formations depending on his team’s opponent and the situation in the game. One of the things he wants to figure out in the preseason is who will play at the top of the formation with Goncalves.

“Mikey will need some help up there, otherwise he is going to get hammered on,” Kolodziey said. “I have got some options to give him some help. We will experiment in the preseason and roll the dice September 2nd.”

One of those options he mentioned was junior Davin Kendall, who finished last season strong as a sophomore. He started at forward in Ludlow’s final summer league game, and could be a key player from the start of the season.

Whether or not he is the option Kolodziey experiments with up top to begin the regular season remains to be seen. September 2nd marks Ludlow’s season-opener – a rematch of last year’s Western Mass. final against West Springfield. For the Lions, it will be an immediate chance to show that this is the year the Western Mass. title returns to Ludlow.

“First game, West Springfield,” David Goncalves said. “Kick off against the guys who beat us. We want to start of well in the first game and who better to do it against than the team that beat us.”